Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell: Book Tour

Title: Magic Dark and Strange
Author: Kelly Powell
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pub Date: 10/27/20
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Edition: Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC)

Summary

The Bone Witch meets Sherlock Holmes in this thrilling historical fantasy about a girl with the ability to raise the dead who must delve into her city’s dangerous magical underworld to stop a series of murders.

Catherine Daly has an unusual talent. By day she works for a printer. But by night, she awakens the dead for a few precious moments with loved ones seeking a final goodbye. But this magic comes with a price: for every hour that a ghost is brought back, Catherine loses an hour from her own life.

When Catherine is given the unusual task of collecting a timepiece from an old grave, she is sure that the mysterious item must contain some kind of enchantment. So she enlists Guy Nolan, the watchmaker’s son, to help her dig it up. But instead of a timepiece, they find a surprise: the body of a teenage boy. And as they watch, he comes back to life—not as the pale imitation that Catherine can conjure, but as a living, breathing boy. A boy with no memory of his past.

This magic is more powerful than any Catherine has ever encountered, and revealing it brings dangerous enemies. Catherine and Guy must race to unravel the connection between the missing timepiece and the undead boy. For this mysterious magic could mean the difference between life and death—for all of them.

Review

The best feature of Magic Dark and Strange was the characters. The villains were villainous and our protagonists were endearing and brave. I love soft boys, so I was obsessed with Owen. He brought so much to the story and deserved every good thing in the world.

I also liked the way the story built up as there was a twist I didn’t see coming at all but that made complete sense. I enjoyed the idea of everyone trying to get this timepiece in order to have power or keep others from having that power, and it really made the motivations clear for the characters. The writing was also very atmospheric, and I felt like I was actually in a graveyard during some of the scenes.

Overall, the premise was really interesting but the execution didn’t completely grab me. I really wanted to know more about the magic and how people got their abilities, especially Catherine. I still thought it was worth the read for the characters though as we got to see how sweet Owen was and how Guy and Catherine’s relationship developed.

Author

Kelly Powell has a bachelor’s degree in history and book and media studies from the University of Toronto. She currently lives in Ontario. She is the author of Songs from the Deep and Magic Dark and Strange. Visit her online at PowellKelly.com or on Twitter @KellyCPowell.

Where to Buy

Bookshop | IndieBound | B&N | Book Depository | Amazon

Thank you so much for reading my tour post for Magic Dark and Strange. If you want to see all the other amazing posts on this book tour, check out the links below.
*Thank you to the publisher for the free copy of the book. All opinions are my own*

Post Date	Blog	Link
Monday, Oct 26	Novel Knight	https://www.novelknight.com/
Tuesday, Oct 27	eleven thirteen pm	https://eleventhirteenpm.com
Wednesday, Oct 28	Bookishly Nerdy	https://poisonbooknerd.wordpress.com/
Thursday, Oct 29	Polish & Paperbacks	https://www.polishandpaperbacks.com/
Friday, Oct 30	Rants and Raves of a Bibliophile	https://rantsandravesofabibliophile.wordpress.com/
Monday, Nov 2	Frayed Books	https://frayedbooks.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, Nov 3	Bookish Ends	https://www.bookishends.com/
Wednesday, Nov 4	Moonlight Rendezvous	https://moonlightrendezvous.com/
Thursday, Nov 5	How Useful It Is	https://howusefulitis.wordpress.com/
Friday, Nov 6	Confessions of a YA Reader	https://confessionsofayareader.wordpress.com/